New Information on NYC Bike Attack Suspects Emerges

Police say a group of people on bikes turned a ride through Manhattan into their own crime spree. Wale Aliyu has new information from police on the suspects.

(Published Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018)

What to Know

A mob of dozens of bicyclists rode the wrong way through Manhattan streets on Saturday, attacking drivers who confronted them, witnesses say

One driver said bicyclists smashed his windows and punched him in the head; another witness said the group was heckling people on the street

One of the drivers tried to chase the bicyclists against traffic and struck and injured an NYPD officer, police said

A mob of dozens of bicyclists roamed through the streets of Manhattan against traffic and attacked drivers who confronted them, witnesses say, and police say an officer was injured after being hit by a driver trying to chase down the unruly group.

Some of the cyclists were wearing masks as they zig-zagged through cars on Seventh Avenue in Chelsea on Saturday evening and clashed with drivers. Cell phone video shows the group rolling through the streets between cars.

Lanley said the cyclists punched him in the head and also smashed the back windshield of his car in two places.

At one point, a driver who had been assaulted by a bicyclist made a U-turn against the flow of traffic in an attempt to chase down the group. That's when he or she hit an NYPD officer, injuring the officer's leg and hand, law enforcement sources said. That person wasn't expected to face charges because it appeared to be an accident, according to the sources.

An Uber driver, who didn't want to be named, says the bicyclists also damaged his car as he was dropping off a passenger. He provided NBC 4 with dashcam video in which he says you can see the cyclists taunting him and surrounding his car. He says you can hear them scratching and kicking the vehicle too.

“It’s a brand new car. I don’t know how much that’s going to cost me now. It’s probably $1,000,” he said.

Cell phone video shows dozens of bicyclists riding the wrong way through streets in Chelsea on Saturday. Drivers say they damaged cars and one man says he was attacked by several cyclists.

(Published Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018)

Officers were collecting surveillance video as they investigated, but no arrests had been made as of Saturday night. If police catch the bicyclists allegedly involved, they could face reckless endangerment and criminal mischief charges.

Witnesses say the group dispersed and headed north, where they shouted at walkers and heckled people as far north as Midtown.